"Dying is the easy part
Living is the trick"

~Atticus

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Much to my surprise, Mason hadn't come after me after that night. I'd woken up in fear of finding him hovering over me in my sleep but he was nowhere to be found. I took the time to clean the downstairs before then making breakfast and sticking it in the refrigerator. I stuck my hand inside my pocket and pulled out the granola bar that man had given me.

Thinking back to what he'd said, I gently unwrapped the package and bit into it. The taste of chocolate hit my tongue and I smiled. As I munched on my snack I grabbed my backpack and gently opened my wings to test their strength.

Despite my left wing feeling completely healed after the kick Mason had given me it was hard to tell if I could actually manage to lift myself off of the ground. I felt like my body was mush. Tucking my wings back into my clothing, I pulled my on before slowly making my way out of the house and walking.

It was around five-thirty; The sun had barely begun to come up and the street lamps were still on. I walked as fast as I could manage, making sure not to trip on any cracks in the distorted sidewalk. The last thing I needed was to add to my injuries.

What day was it? I tried to think back to the last time I'd attended school. It had been a Friday, and three days had passed since then. At least I hadn't missed a bunch of school work. But the thought of homework had me thinking about Rafael. That man had said he would take me away in a few days. How soon was that?

Would Rafael miss me when I disappeared? Probably not. He had friends of his own, I was sure, like Jack and Miko. Despite Jack being a grown man, it seemed like the two were close enough. I finally found my way to the back of the school building, checking the doors to make sure they were unlocked before heading inside.

"All you have to do is stay away from them," I told myself quietly. Rafael would forget about me eventually, as would Jack and Miko. Placing my bag onto the floor of my first class, I slid into my chair and placed my head in my arms. My fingers traced the bruises on my body.

That man had seemed different. First, he defended me when I was being mistreated. Sure, he was with scar-face and obviously in on the whole arrangement, but maybe he could- what? Save me? I scoffed. What was I thinking? No masked hero was going to swoop in and save the day, despite how bad I wanted one too.

No, I would have to save myself. Balling my fists, I stared at the clock on the wall before thinking my options over. Scar-face warned me not to fight back and play nice. He knew how badly I didn't want to be in this situation- who would? Mason obviously didn't take heed to his warning on keeping an eye on me, since he wasn't there that morning and most likely would be missing when returning home, or maybe even drunk.

But where could I go? What would I do? I was only seventeen. Though some states allowed you to up and leave when you were my age, I knew that you had to go to court in Nevada in order to even consider that option. There was no way I would be able to do that. Mason would find me if I did, or use his cop friends to find me like they did all those years ago.

I watched as the teacher finally walked in, holding a mug that said 'Hi. I'm happy' and was most definitely filled with coffee or some other incredibly caffeinated drink. The other students piled in one by one, all looking tired and bored out of their minds despite being in class for less than five seconds.

As the teacher began his lesson I couldn't focus. The nearest town to Jasper was probably two to three hours. Sure, it would be shorter if I flew, but it would be hard for me to fly for that long when my regular fly time was ten to fifteen minutes a day. I needed breaks. What would even happen when I escaped to another town?

It's not like I would be completely free. If those men were paying Mason for me, how far would they go to get their money's worth? I trembled at the thought despite the one man's seemingly kind act the night before. I felt helpless. It absolutely terrified me.

"Ms. Port?" the teacher asked.

I snapped my head up but immediately placed it back down. My stomach was turning- I was beginning to wonder if eating that granola bar had been the best idea. I normally didn't eat breakfast. A hand touched my shoulder, and I jumped, knocking over the books on my desk.

My gaze met my teacher's, who had a concerned look on his face. "You don't look well, Ms. Port. Why don't you go to the nurse's office?"

Unable to respond, I simply nodded while picking up my things from the floor and grasping them to my chest. All eyes were on me as I walked towards the door, wiping sweat from my forehead. It felt like the classroom was on fire- but maybe that was just my embarrassment after making a scene in class. I wanted to believe that's what it was, but something felt off.

I began to shiver as chills traveled up my body. My teeth chattered. I began to wish that I had worn a sweatshirt. The mix of hot and cold was so intense. I felt like I was burning up while at the same time being dipped in a frozen lake.

Something stabbed in my side, making me stop in my tracks. I winced as the same pain came again, but I knew it was most likely my ribs flaring. I wouldn't be surprised if Mason had broken a few. With a huff, I took a few more steps forward, determination now filling my body. If I wanted to leave, I was going to have to suck it up and deal with the pain.

"You can do this. You can do this," I mumbled to myself as I continued down the hallway, eyes focused on the brown door directly at the end. A gasp escaped my body as another stab of pain erupted from my middle. I doubled over and coughed, every jerk jarring my ribs more and more.

It had to be the adrenaline wearing off. I'd woken up so terrified I'd find Mason right there. When he wasn't, it still felt like my heart was going to burst as I got ready for school. Part of me wondered how that kind green-eyes man had gotten anywhere close to me- I still smelled like sweat, rain, and the alcohol that was poured all over me the night Mason beat my head in with the bottle of Vodka.

Maybe I just needed to sleep a little more. I wondered if I could skip the rest of the day and just sleep at the house. No. Without Rafael, I would be more confused than ever. Not only that, but missing more work would only add to my pile of stress. I would have to stay.

My foot slipped as I took another step forward, and my grasp on my books loosened as I dropped to the floor. They smacked against the ground, echoing down the long hallway. The nurse's office was right down the hall! I had to get up. There was no way I was being this pathetic.

But as more coughs wracked my body I felt something wet hit my arm. Blood. Panic set in as I stared at it. Something was wrong. More blood found its way onto the floor as I continued to hack and cough. Vision blurring, I lifted my head and leaned all my weight onto my elbows in one last attempt to get up before falling against a wall of lockers.

A groan escaped me. This isn't really working. My vision continued to blur until a familiar darkness began to take over. I was unsure of how much time actually passed as I drifted in and out of consciousness, but soon the bell was ringing. A few students made their way down the hall but none of them seemed to notice me. The only person who actually acknowledged my presence made a look of disgust before turning and scurrying away.

Thank you for your help. Truly, it means a lot.

The footsteps soon stopped, along with the slamming of lockers. I was happy that the noises were gone. After a few moments, a quiet pair of footsteps sounded not far from me. They were slow at first but began to quicken as they got closer.

"Hope? Are you okay? Did you fall?" I recognized Rafael's voice instantly. When I didn't reply, I could hear running. A gasp came from the boy as he kneeled down next to me. He brought his shaking hands close before pulling them away again.

"What h-happened? Why are you bleeding? C-can you stand?" His hair flopped around as he rambled in fear, which brought a small smile to my face as I attempted to reach out for it.

"I like your hair," I murmured quietly.

Rafael's gaze snapped over to me. "You're hurt. I need to go get help."

"No one can help me. I'm going to be gone soon," I said as I blinked slowly, watching his blurry face pull away. "No, come back."

"I'm going to get help. Stay here."

If I was able to move, I would have been in the nurse's office ages ago. I watched as his figure disappeared around the corner. The bell rang for the second time, signaling the end of break between classes. Where had Rafael gone? Wasn't I supposed to stay away from him?

"Get up," I said while gritting my teeth. I could see an exit right down the hall, leading outside. I could- no- who was I kidding? I probably looked like a slug trying to slither around on the floor. There was no way I could make it outside. Even if I could, there was no chance of flying.

Two bodies suddenly turned the corner. Rafael was practically sprinting while Miko jogged behind him. "I don't understand what you're saying Raf, you need to take a breather-" she stopped when she spotted me. "Hope? What happened to you?"

Rafael landed onto his knees and slid next to me. "She's hurt really bad. I didn't know what to do-"

"And you think I do? Me, Raf? Oh my, I think we should call somebody. Shouldn't we call somebody?" Miko's eyes were wide as she kneeled next to me. "Jeez, Rafael, I thought you were smart. Why would you get me?"

"I-I don't know what to do," Rafael whimpered. I reached out my arm and grabbed his hand, giving it a small squeeze.

"It's okay, Rafael. I'm-" I coughed, and more blood came from my mouth.

Miko squealed and dodged out of the way. "Wow, Hope, that's nasty."

Rafael seemed unbothered and simply looked up to Miko. "Miko, I don't- I can't-"

Miko's eyes softened at the boy's tears. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment before clenching her fists and nodding. "Right. Okay, Raf, you call Ratchet. I'm going to get Jack."

"But shouldn't we call an ambula-" Rafael paused before nodding, "yeah, never mind. Right. I'll call Ratchet. You get Jack."

Miko gave me a small smile before sprinting away. I squeezed Rafael's hand. "Nurses office," I said quietly, pointing at the door. Rafael shook his head, a look of bewilderment on his face.

"No, Hope, you don't need the nurse. You need the hospital. What happened? Why are you hurt?"

"I-I can't go. I can't g-go to the hospital." My eyes widened in panic at the realization. They were going to see my wings. They were going to hurt me because I was different.

It was getting hot again, but my body was trembling from the cold. Maybe I was just sick. I couldn't waste Rafael and Miko's time with something like that. I didn't need to go to the hospital and risk getting caught over a cold. I let go of Rafael's hand and reached for the books that I'd dropped.

"Woah, what are you doing?" Rafael had a phone to his ear as he addressed me. His hand gently pressed against my shoulder. "You need to lie down. Jack's mom is a nurse, she works at a hospital. You'll be feeling better in no time." Despite the small smile on his face, I saw the doubt in his eyes.

"Jack?" I hadn't thought I would see him again so soon.

Rafael noticed my confusion. "No, not Jack from the other day. We have another friend named Jack- he goes to school here. It's confusing I know-" he rambled on. His eyes suddenly lit up as whoever he was calling finally answered. He diverted his attention away from me and began talking to the person on the other end.

Everything was starting to grow dark again. Rafael's words were muffled by a sudden ringing in my ears. I watched his mouth move and he waved his arms as he explained what was happening. After a few moments, I simply laid my head back on the cool tile. The pounding in my head was beginning to go away, but the stabbing pains were still constant.

"Help is on the way now." It seemed he was saying it more to himself than me. The boy sighed in relief. "Now we just have to wait for Miko and-"

"Raf!"

Rafael jerked around. Miko was running our way, with a tall boy following behind her. She finally stopped beside us, chest heaving as she leaned down to rest her hands on her knees. "I-" She gasped for breath, "I got Jack."

"Did you call Ratchet?" the boy, Jack, asked. He kneeled down next to me and Rafael. When Rafael nodded, he then glanced around the hallway. "Where are the teachers when you need them?"

My thoughts exactly. Jack glanced at the door down the hall- the one that led outside- and glanced back at the others. "We need to get her outside. Raf, get the door." When he reached out to pull me up, I flinched back so hard my head almost hit the wall. Jack didn't seem to notice or care as he placed one arm under my leg and the other under my neck.

He wobbled as he stood to his feet, slightly losing his balance. "You're a lot heavier than I expected," he gritted out, tightening his hold. I tried not to make any noise as he moved me around to get a better grip.

"Wow Jackie-boy, you insult a girl and call her fat while she's practically dying. Not exactly the best meet-and-greet you've ever had." Miko drawled out, rolling her eyes.

"Not now Miko." Jack scowled. We began moving- or rather, Jack began moving- and I watched as Rafael opened the door. A bright orange and white ambulance pulled up alongside the sidewalk and jerked to a stop. Rafael and Miko ran towards it while Jack stumbled along behind them.

A man hopped out of the back. He too was wearing a bright orange jacket that matched the ambulance perfectly. The man looked at Jack. "What happened?"

"I don't know. Miko just grabbed me from the middle of class. I don't even know her-"

"Her name is Hope. I found her in the hallway like this. I don't know what's wrong," Rafel blurted out.

"Hand her to me."

I was being moved from one pair of arms to another. The man winced as more blood came out of my mouth. "Internal damage could easily be the culprit here, but I suggest we take her to the hospital. You three stay here."

"You don't actually expect us to stay here-"

"This isn't an excuse to get out of class, Miko!" Jack snapped.

"I'll have you know, I'm actually worried Jack," Miko growled.

Poor Rafael looked between the two, completely silent as they continued to fight. The man ignored the three completely, heading towards the ambulance and stepping into the back and laying me on a stretcher.

"I can't go to the hospital," I grit out.

The man looked at me like I had three heads. "That is absurd! You could be internally bleeding! You need a doctor."

Adrenaline rushed through my body as panic set in. I couldn't go to the hospital. They were going to find out everything. I needed to go home. I wanted to go home. Despite the pain, I forced myself to roll over onto my side.

The man glared at me. "You need to lay still."

"I can't go to the hospital," I repeated with force.

The man went to argue, but a sudden beeping noise rang out. He stopped moving, glancing over towards a small device laying next to him and grabbed it. It beeped again, and his eyes widened as he looked over at me.

"B-by the Allspark!" he pointed the object at me again. "This can't be-"

I began to heave, and he shook his head. "Oh, no. You will not leak your internal fluid all over my-"

It was too late. I leaned over the stretcher and gagged at the foul taste in my mouth as I threw up all over the floor.  My eyes widened as I realized why my mouth suddenly tasted like metal.

The man gasped at the blood. "My Primus-"

The ambulance suddenly pulled forward. I was too out of it to realize that the man was the only one in the vehicle, and it was actually driving itself. The ringing in my ears grew louder as the man hurriedly touched a finger to his ear.

"Optimus, I need a groundbridge," he said, looking down at me, "I've found the source of the signal."

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

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